I hate confrontation: I do everything in my power to avoid it, even if that means surrendering my argument or swallowing my feelings. This is okay to do every now and then, such as when you’re bickering with your roommate about who did the dishes last, but it’s taboo for…
Every couple faces adversity—whether its infidelity, jealousy, insecurity, abuse, a combination of the four, or something different entirely. In any given case, what’s most important is not the difficulty at hand, but how one addresses and solves that issue. I learned this firsthand in a particularly challenging relationship a few…
Our primary form of communication is verbal communication. However, we speak just as often through nonverbal communication or body language. The way we sink into our chairs, cross our arms, and look down at the ground all communicate negative feelings—those of deflation, unease, and discomfort. Now, we can also communicate…
So I am in the very stressful, annoying process of moving. My garage is filled with boxes and crates aplenty, my room stripped down to nothing but my mattress, and my mind is bursting at the seams with all that I still have to get done. My dad, being the…
We’re living in trying times. It’s as if every time I turn my head, turn on the TV, or turn a corner there’s another conflict. About race, about inequalities, about the concerning state of our earth. And about the more mundane: about who gets to go first, who has the…
I practically came out of the womb breaking hearts. No, not in a cocky, I’m-so-awesome-and-beautiful way. My breakups actually just always go horribly wrong. I somehow approach the situation every time in the worst possible way, and the poor guy either ends up confused or a mess of emotions. I’m…
Apologies are important. Without them (and consequent forgiveness of course) Corey and Topanga couldn’t have grown their relationship into marriage on Boy Meets World, Meredith and Derek wouldn’t have made it past the first season of Grey’s Anatomy, and Blair and Chuck never would have found their way back to…
Communicating Without Uttering a Word We may view the primary form of communication as speaking with one another verbally, but we speak almost just as often and effectively through nonverbal communication: body language. The way we hunch over in our chairs, and the way we shrug our shoulders or roll…
Communication is an important part of all relationships. To build a strong relationship you must learn how to communicate effectively with your partner. Sometimes that communication includes arguing. Let’s imagine a scenario. It’s been a long day and you’re finally home and seated on the couch with your partner, in…
If you’re human, you’ve probably found yourself needing to apologize to someone at some point. Apologies are a bedrock of healthy human interactions. But in spite of the most sincere intentions, our sorry sometimes proves inadequate. If your apologies tend to fall short, it could be that you’re only focusing…
Why is asking for help so hard? I know that when I was growing up, asking for help was seen as a sign of weakness. We were raised to not go outside of our family system with our problems. It is no wonder that I was well into my twenties…
When you think of the word “teenager” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Attitude? Defiant? Impossible? It’s no secret that it can be difficult to communicate with adolescents.. Many people assume their teenagers are overly emotional, impulsive, and sometimes just mean. All of those statements can…
